Dallas Mavericks Blog

Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry to return Wednesday against Chicago

Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry will make his return to the court Wednesday night in a home game against Chicago after missing the last five games following facial surgery.

Terry broke the orbital bone in his face March 3 against Minnesota after Timberwolves guard Corey Brewer’s elbow and forearm struck the left side of his face.

Terry has worn a clear, plastic mask during three strong practices in recent days and said he’s ready to return. He finished practice this afternoon by making 19-of-25 3-point attempts from five different spots on the court (just like the Three-Point Contest). And his teammates aren’t calling him Jet anymore. Now he’s Jedi. Or is it Jeti?

“I’m fully confident that I can go out there and perform at a high level, not be distracted,” Terry said. “I’m feeling good, no pain. The body is good and well-rested and hopefully I’ll be able to provide a spark for us tomorrow night.”

Terry said he’s had no problem seeing with the mask on because it has wide eye sockets. Terry also said that he’s been aggressive in practice and shown no hesitation. He said the only problem has been “the leakage” of the mask because “my face sweats a lot.” Terry said he still doesn’t have full feeling back, however, in the left side of his face.

“We’ll give it a go. Like I said, if I miss the first shot, it might be coming off. Take a good look now because it might be the last you see of it,” Terry said. “Hopefully I’ll have enough feeling on the left side to wear it one game and get rid of it. Doc is saying keep it on for the rest of the season. We’ll see.”

What if he makes every shot while wearing the mask?

“You might see this for a while,” Terry said. “I’m very superstitious. We’ll ride with it and see what happens.”